The Botanical Gardens
by aks100
Summary: It's been nearly a year since Lyra and Will parted and now it's Midsummer's day. Have they forgotten about each other or will their young love be renewed again worlds apart


A/N:-This is my first attempt at a fanfic that isn't based on Harry Potter. I haven't actually read His Dark Materials for a while but I felt the sudden urge to write this. I hope you like it

* * *

Lyra sat on the bench under the tree at the Botanic Garden. She felt the familiar pain in her heart as she thought of Will. She's never be able to see him again. Even after a year, she still felt a soft despair at the thought. She leant against the trunk and pulled her feet up onto the bench and wrapped her arms around her knees. She propped her head on her knees as Pantalaimon ran to her and jumped up onto the bench.

"It's nearly midday." He said softly to her. Lyra knew that. She closed her eyes and thought of Will. She wondered how much he had changed, that was if he had changed. She pictured his face the last time she saw him. His straight eyebrows, the shape of his face. His black hair, his eyes. He must have changed, she certainly had. She was taller, her body was developing curves very slowly. Her face was very slowly turning into one of a woman's and she was developing breasts that had scared her at first but she was growing used to it. She was slowly becoming a woman, no doubt that Will was becoming a man.

She choked back tears that were coming to her eyes. She liked her life now. Dame Hannah had made sure that no one asked her about what had happened to Lyra. Once upon a time not so long ago Lyra would have boasted that she'd travelled through the worlds and had travelled to the world of the dead, that her daemon was like a witch's daemon but now it was painful for her to say anything. She still thought of everything that had happened and sometimes yearned to go back up north to go and see Serafina Pekalla or to see Iorek. Sometimes she even wished to see her Uncle, no father Lord Asriel. Though he had never been much of a father he would be a welcome face to her, even if he did try to hurt her.

Pantalaimon climbed up around Lyra's neck, his soft fur warming her skin. He pressed his nose against Lyra's cheek and her hand went to him.

"I miss Him, Pan" She said to Pantalaimon.

"I know you do." He said, "But you know it was for the best." He said.

"Yes I know" Lyra said. "I just wish...why did it have to be just one door? Why couldn't we have left open two."

"Because there was only enough dust to allow one door to remain open" Pantalaimon whispered. Lyra sighed softly and looked up at the tall clock from a church not far away. There were children running around the Botanic Gardens. Lyra just wished that they would go away so that she could have some peace at this time. She looked to Pantalaimon who hopped to the bench and stretched out lazily. Lyra tucked a strand of her dirty blonde hair behind her ears and waited until the clock struck twelve.

* * *

Will glanced around, he wasn't supposed to be out of school. Of course Mary had written him a note to let him have the day off school. She understood the importance of the day to him. He looked at the floor where his dark coloured cat daemon, Kirjava, slipped unseen between the crowds at the Botanic gardens. Will thrust his hands into his pockets and looked around. There were a huddle of school children who were holding clipboards and pointing at one of the trees. There was a mother pushing her child around in a pram. Kirjava started down a path but it was quite busy, Will didn't like crowded places. Kirjava knew that.

"Kirjava!" He hissed. Kirjava turned and looked at Will before running back swiftly. Her fur was a mixture of dark blues and blacks.

"But it's quicker, we'll be late." Kirjava said.

"It wasn't my fault." Will said. He went down another path, Kirjava following closely. Will ran his thumb over the stumps of his fingers on his left hand. Where his fingers had been cut off by the subtle knife when he fought for it Cittagazze. He scowled and started at a jog towards the tree in the middle of the Botanic gardens. He looked at his watch, less then a minute. He started at a full out run. He had to be there. He had to feel Lyra again. What he wouldn't do to be able to touch her skin, look into her eyes and feel her lips. He got to the bench just in time and sat down on it. He panted as Kirjava joined him. Kirjava's fur was bristled and she looked stressed.

"Just in time." She said.

"I know." Will said, clutching his side. He looked at his watch, exactly noon. As if to prove this a bell from a clock somewhere in the city rang loudly. He leant back and closed his eyes. He could feel her presence. Lyra was there. She was actually there. A smile broke across her face. Suddenly he could feel her fingers against his lips when she gave him the fruit. He could see her fierce eyes, her blonde hair. A feeling of calm over took the feeling of despair he'd carried for a year now. Knowing that she was there, that she hadn't forgotten about him. He pulled Kirjava onto his lap and stroked her soft fur. Her fur brushed along the stumps of his fingers, tickling them. She was there.

* * *

Lyra closed her eyes as the clock struck it's first chime. She took a deep breath and felt something next to her. She opened her eyes and looked to her left where she felt the presence. There wasn't anyone or anything there.

"Do you think-"

"It's Will and Kirjava" Pantalaimon finished for Lyra. Lyra nodded and grinned leant back. He hadn't forgotten.

"Oh Will. I love you so much." She whispered. She thought she heard words along those lines drifting towards her.

"I love you Lyra" whispered in the wind. She pulled Pantalaimon into her arms and held him tightly.

"Oh Will, I miss you so much, I have so much to tell you." Lyra said to herself. "I'm learning how to use the Alethiometer again, well, I'm not as good as I was but Dame Hannah is being really nice and has let me have access to the books that I need. She's wonderful. I'm not the same as I was though-" Lyra said, she poured out her heart to no one, she knew that Will could hear her like she could almost hear his voice on the wind that had picked up slightly. The clock chimed again, one strike to the bell and that was it. She suddenly felt the presence die slowly, the wind was dropping.

"No, Will." Lyra said getting up. She was panicking, she was going to lose Will again. She didn't want to have to wait another year. She couldn't feel anything. The Botanic Gardens were how they should be. A young girl looked up at Lyra curiously. She had short brown hair and fierce blue eyes like Lyra's had once been.

"Who's Will?" She asked.

"No one." Lyra croaked. She put a hand to her eyes and wiped away tears that were coming to her eyes. The girl shrugged and ran away. Lyra sank back into the chair and cuddled Pantalaimon tightly. Pantalaimon whined into her shoulder as Lyra buried her face into his fur and tried not to cry.

"He didn't forget us." Pantalaimon said, causing Lyra's heart to jump. She smiled very slightly.

"No he didn't"

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A/N:-This is only a one-shot fic. I hope you liked it, it isn't as good as my usual stuff but it is my first time with these characters. Please Review and tell me what you think of it. 


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